Box Scraper box scraper as ballast

[bgWI]

Members,

Mid-summer last year I traded my Kubota B7800 for the Kubota Grand L4330 with an LA853 loader. At the last moment traded back the Kubota bucket for a new L.R. Long 4 in 1 72" bucket at 515 pounds. I am not the least bit sorry I added about 215 pounds more at the end of my quick attach 853 loader arms. In the deal I agreed to a used 500 pound generic box scraper thinking it would suffice as primary loader ballast. Well, we dig a lot of clay on our "mountain top," usually uphill or downhill and I need some more ballast to easy the pucker factor when piling full buckets of dirt at 10 feet high. My thinking is a heavier box scraper. My best friend of 33 years (wife) says I should have bought the Kubota box scraper to start with...Any suggestions of brand and weight ( or other alternatives) would be appreciated.

Bill

 

[radman1]

Most box blades are going to weigh around 400-600 lbs. for 5.5-6' models. I do have an older gannon 82" industrial box blade which weighs 1000 lbs but those are quite expensive. On my smaller box blades, I will often hang old 75-100 lb suitcase weights on the blade for more weight. That is probably your cheapest solution. You could also load your rear tires with fluid which is not too expensive.

 

[Tom_H]

I have a little 42" Gannon box for my BX and use the bb as ballast. When I need more weight, I use some boards to help wedge some old empty 5 gal. steel paint cans into the box. These I fill with some big river cobble rocks I have in the back yard. I can about double the ballast by doing this.

You could possibly have a welder make and attach some kind of recetptacle(s) to the rear of the BB. Into the receptacle would go a removable verticle rod/pin. On this/these rod/pins you could stack some old barbell weights that you might find in a thrift store.

 

[kwolfe]

I do about the same thing as Tom H. I have two old 5 gallon buckst that I fill with rocks (iron stone). I put them on my KK 48" BB. The blade wieghs about 300lbs. I bet I add at least 150 to 200 extra pounds.

Attached is what another TBN member did. Three 5 gallon buckets full of concrete. Each one runs about 100 lbs.

 

[bgWI]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the ideas. I have fluid in the tires. I have some Farmall wheel weights that could be hung on the box. I thought about visiting my steel salvage dealer for some thick steel plate that could be bolted or welded to the back of the box. I'm thinking another 300 pounds would probably do the job.

Bill

 

[zeuspaul]

I have a Grand L4330 with a Gearmore 2G2 72 inch boxblade which specs at 860 lbs.
http://www.gearmore.com/catpdf/Cat_P77_P81.pdf

I never knew how useful it was as ballast until I used the FEL with the blade removed.

Zeuspaul

 

[schmism]

ive seen smaller suitecase weights hung right off the side plates.... (although some have mentioned them getting pushed off as the box fills up with dirt (if that should occure at all)

a more permant solution would be to fab up a rack ontop of the box to take the weights or Railroad rail etc.

 

[JLoaf]

I added (6) 44# suitcase wts and (2)75# dumbells to my box blade for a total of 414#. My blade weighs 550#. Blade + weights = 964#
It was best bangs for the buck I've put on my L3830.
The box blade digs better and provides great ballast.

I have had a suitcase wt get knocked off so I bolted them together ( I have 3 on each side of the box blade) and and haven't lost one since.

 

[BTDT]

Good luck and let us know what you did. I think someone already mentioned railroad iron, but here is another idea. Everyone (I think) can get some of those cheap little tires on rims that come as spares, fill them with fluid and hang them on the back. Weld on a piece or two of pipe, slip tires down over them---just like barbell weights, only larger. Can usually be found free at junkyards and tire shops.

 

[m7040]

Have posted pics before of my ballast box built of 2 by lumber that holds 2000 lbs of rock sand and goes on the 3 point. Cost little and offloads the FEL very nicely and gets great traction. Also in the process of adding CI centers to the wheels which will add another 1000 lbs plus.
With the ballast box on there is very little wheel slip even when taking overflow bites with FEL and the 72 inch bucket. Now I can dig faster with the FEL than with the backhoe. If it has to be deep then I make a ramp and continue to enlarge to get to the depth needed and it is still quicker that way.

 

[wkpoor]

I have a JD5400 with 520 loader. The 16.9x30 tires are loaded and with a full break out force the back end stays firmly on the ground. Do the smaller tractors not have large enough tires to hold the required ballast?

 

[Redbug]

I also use railroad iron on my ballast box blade. Railroad track comes in different weights, (weighed by the yard), and the standard size is about 150 pounds per yard. Pretty dense stuff. I use a 6 foot piece, (300 pounds) on my 6 foot box blade. The box blade weighs around 500 pounds...making for a total weight of around 800 pounds. It makes a difference. I did some additional welding to the supports, (since it probably was not designed for too much more weight), and added angle iron to make a tray of sorts to keep the rail from bouncing off. You can bust a gut manhandling that stuff, and it's a good way to get hurt bad if it falls or rolls over on a foot, etc.

 

[kwolfe]

Redbug,
That looks like a great idea. Where did you get the rail? I would like to get some for my BB as well as using some a ballast.

 

[schmism]

my local scrap hard has piles and piles of railroad rail.

 

[Redbug]

Hi Kwolfe,
I have some railroad tracks that run nearby, and a rail crew was replacing some rail a couple years ago. I asked the foreman for a couple pieces of rail that were laying off to the side. He told me to go ahead and get them. All the rail crews I have ever talked with are really a bunch of nice fellows, and are willing to help if you approach them in a friendly way. Schmism is right, I also have seen rail at the scrap yard outside of town and that would be the next best place to get some pieces. They would probably even cut it to length for you.

 

[wushaw]

A friend of mine has a Cab L4330 with the 853 loader and HD bucket and he has the Kubota wheel weights and carries his Cammond BB that weighs a little under 1200lbs and I have watched his rear tires spin like crazy with a loaded bucket just like he does not have enough rear weight.
I know he has alot of weight and I have told him he needs more.

I would suggest since you already have filled tires is to put at least 2000lbs on the 3pt (it's rated for 2760) that would help.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I traded my Kubota B7800 for the Kubota Grand L4330 with an LA853 loader.

In my Kubota loader manual it suggests I need BOTH a 3pt weight AND wheel weights. It give specific amounts of weight needed. In my New Holland manual it also gives very specific weights needed, and where they are needed and states BOTH wheel + 3pt ballast is necessary.

I would suggest you refer to your owners manuals to determine exactly what you need, it has your answer.

 

[BTDT]

Hi Kwolfe,
I have some railroad tracks that run nearby, and a rail crew was replacing some rail a couple years ago. I asked the foreman for a couple pieces of rail that were laying off to the side. He told me to go ahead and get them. All the rail crews I have ever talked with are really a bunch of nice fellows, and are willing to help if you approach them in a friendly way. Schmism is right, I also have seen rail at the scrap yard outside of town and that would be the next best place to get some pieces. They would probably even cut it to length for you.

In these Post 911 days, I don't know that I would want to be out messing around trying to load railroad iron off the side of a track somewhere. Might draw some attention you can't shake.

 

[Glowplug]

Are you looking for just ballast or do you need a box blade that will double as ballast?
If you need just ballast I would consider getting a cheap ($120) carryall, welding sides on it to make a box, then fill it with lead shot.
If you want a box blade to double as a ballast be sure to get an industrial heavy-duty one. Some high quality heavy box blades are made by Gannon, Gearmore, and Cammond.

I am wanting to get a Cammond 4C5-84. That's a 7-foot box blade that weighs 1410#!!